San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-17

discovered her. A deeply discounted
woman was she that day, and bitter were
the reprOaches with which she assailed
me.
This has been your doing from first to
lastr' she exclaimed. IAN the misery
and disgrace that may come Of it will lie
at your door"
And when | replied that accepted the
whole responsibility and gloried in it, she
fairly lost her temper-a thing that was
not usual with her-declaring that that
only showed what an empty headed, con-
ceited idiot was. "You think yourself
so wise that you must needs have a finger
in every ones business. / should very
much like 10 know whom you fatter your
self that You have benefited this time!
Not your friend, Jim Leigh, at all events;
for, mark my words, Mr.. Beauchamp will
I go straight off and propose to Mildred
now. | need not tell you that she will
accept him. For all her demure airs, she
| knows the value of Il large income rs well
rs anybody. AS for me, you have GER
| tainly done me an i'll turn if that is any
satisfaction TO yOu-which suppose il is
For the last five or six years have shown
you every possible civility; have had
| you TO dinner again and again when you
|
| you into lots of good houses which you
know very well that you would never
have entered but for me. Naturally,
therefore, you hate me- Why you should
hate Brlcknell don't know; but you have
very etrectually ruined him. Alfred Beau
| champs marriage means bankruptcy to
| him-ncither more nor less than that"
She must have been very angry to use
| such CandOr. you admit then, dear
| Lady Bracknell," observed, that your
| purpose was to improve the family pros
| poets by getting Alfred Beauchamp killed
out of the way"
81 admit no such thing" she returned,
land defy you to produce one atom of
| proof that ] wanted him to fight NJ. de
Vieuzac | will admit that firted with
him. If that shocks you, you are welcome
TO be shocked. 1t don't shock Bracknell,
who knew quite well what | was doing
and why l did it, That much he couldn't
deny last night, in spite of all his raving
and storming.'
'Did he rave and storm H' inquired,
with interest.
eyes, he did He said such abominable
things to me that have very great doubts
as to whether l will continue to live with
| him"
| lOu Will "dlG, presume, Sitlu 4,
"until you see whether there is any chance
of his having anything to live upon"
| Why this remark should have exasper-
ated her | cannot tell; possibly because it
| expressed nothing more than the simple
| truth. At all events, she turned upon me
| quite furiously. you think it is safe to
insult me, do you ?'' she cried "You will
| find yourself mistaken. | have a very
| good memory, and | am not likely to for
| get what | owe you. The day will come
| when you will be sorry for having med
| died with me.''
That day may come; but it has not come
| yet, and am still unrepentant. l believe
| j am one Of the very few people who can
| boast Of having put Lady Bracknell into
| a passion.
She and her husband drove down to the
station together, but, as | understood,
parted there, her ladyship making for an
other country house, to which she had
| been invited, while Bracknell went up to
| London. Thither also betook myself on
| the following day; and there, shortly after
ward, received letter from my mother
in which was begged to run down and
| see her.
81 am feeling uneasy about our friends
| at Staines Court, she wrote land should
be very glad to have little talk with you
| The young man Beauchamp has arrived
| ! fear, but am not sure, that he has come
for the purpose of renewing his most I'M
| welcome attentions.
How this bad behavior of the young
man Beauchamp was to be checked by my
advent upon the scene did not appear; but
| Of course | FASTENED to obey my mothers
summons, and on reaching my journeys
| end whom should l find waiting for me
| upon the platform but Jim Leigh. He
| said he had heard that | was expected by
that train, and had thought he would
come down and meet me, which was
highly flattering
'I've got the dog cart here" he added,
$50 that can drop you at the house if
| you like; but don't you think walk
would do you good, after being shut up in
that stuffy railway carriage2 The cart
can take your traps on for you"
1t was not exactly pleasant weather for
walking, the roads and lanes being deep
| in mud, and a gusty wind having been
| blowing all day from the northwest, with
| occasional showers of cold rain, which
seemed likely to be succeeded by snow;
but as it was evident that Jim had great
| deal to say to me, l would not balk him
of his purpose.
The upshOt of what he had to say was
| that he had been unable to refrain from
Rvowing his love to Lady Mildred, and
that to his unutterable joy, he had dis
| covered that his love was returned. She
| had, however, declared most positively
that she considered herself bound in honor
| to carry out her fathers wishes, should it
| be in her power to do so, and l gathered
that the only thing which had hitherto
kept this luckless pair from breaking
their hearts was a comfortable conviction
that, after all, this would not be in her
power. Even Lord Staines-who, in ac-
cordance with the intention that he had
expressed to me- had demonstrated firmly
but kindly with his daughter-had &C
knowledged that there is no known
method of marrying man who won't ask
you to marry him. "And l really be-
| lieve," added Jim, THAT il Beauchamp
had distinctly refused to come forward,
he wouldn't have had any serious objec-
ton to me.h
SIN other words, if he can't get e40, 900
year, he will be graciously pleased to
| put up with sixth of that sum-" OBJ
served
"Well, it isn't only a question of in
come; there's the debt that have told
| you about. However, Beauchamp has
come forward at last, and l confess to
| you frankly, Harry, that I'm at my wits
end don't see my way at all"
HAS Beauchamp proposed?' inquired.
"NCt yet; but he may do it any day. In
fact, it is quite certain that he has come
here in order to do it. He wrote to Lady
Mildred, Offering himself for a week,